90s

Townes Van Zandt has had many acolytes over the past 40 years, but it's Lyle Lovett who grabbed, and held, my attention. A lover, and performer, or various genres - from country, jazz, blues and Tejano - to standards from the American Songbook, Lovett, to the causal observer, may not immediately connect the Van Zandt dots. But they are there, and none more so than on Lovett's 1998 double record, Step Inside This House, his tribute to fellow Texan songwriters, prominently featuring the music of Townes.

If you’re a Pantera fan, then you may remember our post from late October when we talked up the release of History of Hostility, a nine-track compilation designed as a primer for those who’ve heard great stuff about Pantera but never knew exactly where to start with their back catalog.

Of course, what existing Pantera fans probably remember most about that post is not so much the information about the primer itself, since they probably already have copies of all nine of those tracks, but the announcement that we’d also soon be releasing The Complete Studio Albums 1990-2000, a new set which includes Cowboys From Hell (1990), Vulgar Display Of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994), The Great Southern Trendkill (1996), and Reinventing The Steel (2000).

Billy Gibbons turns 66 years old today, and although he’s certainly best known for his work with ZZ Top, which has kept him in the spotlight for the majority of his musical career, Gibbons has occasionally found time to pop onto other people’s songs and add his guitar and/or vocals to the proceedings.

Jazz musicians don't come much more legendary than the late Miles Davis, but it was the label shift heard 'round the world when, in 1985, Davis left his longstanding home of Columbia Records and made the jump to Warner Bros. Records. It wasn't just a change in label, either: it was a full-fledged change in sound, starting with his debut WB album, Tutu, which - believe it or not - actually featured a cover of Scritti Politti's “Perfect Way.”

Although the cause of his death has yet to be revealed, we regret to confirm that which you’ve probably heard on your entertainment news source of choice already: Scott Weiland, who first came to fame while fronting Stone Temple Pilots, has died at the age of 48.

Weiland got his start in rock ‘n’ roll at age 16, but it wasn’t until the late 1980s that he joined forces with guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer Eric Kretz to form a band called Swing, which soon changed their name to Mighty Joe Young and eventually changed it again to Stone Temple Pilots. After building a fanbase in San Diego, STP secured a deal with Atlantic Records in 1992 and quickly released their debut album, Core, which – arriving as it did in the midst of the grunge movement – soon became a stone cold smash, with songs like “Sex Type Thing,” “Plush,” “Creep,” and “Wicked Garden” all becoming significant radio hits.

38 years ago today, the Rezillos released their second single, “(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures,” which wound up being their first single release on their new deal with Sire Records.

When people talk about punk rock, they tend to throw around names like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned, but the Rezillos were right there in the thick of things as well, offering up as much spirit in '76 as the best of them...

23 years ago today, Black Sabbath joined the illustrious ranks of those commemorated on Guitar Center's RockWalk, on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

No, it's not quite as ubiquitous a tourist location as the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the venue formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theater, but RockWalk is nonetheless an impressive tribute to an ever-increasing number of musical artists, and it's an effort which - per Dave Wiederman, director of RockWalk - is about “how many musicians you influenced, not how many records you sold." As it happens, Black Sabbath has sold quite a few records over the years, but their influence on rock 'n' roll has been tremendous, and it continues into the present, making them a more than worthy addition to RockWalk.

Eighteen years ago today, Metallica released their seventh studio album, an endeavor which - at least as of this date - remains the last time they recorded a full-length effort with bassist Jason Newsted.

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy / Darklands / Automatic / Honey's Dead - Expanded Editions: Given that the brothers Reid have reconvened as the J&MC and have been once again touring the world and elsewhere, it's perhaps not the most surprising development in the world that we've found it in our hearts and found space in our digital catalog to add the expanded editions of the band's first four albums.

Heavy metal band Skid Row toured had an extensive 16-date tour of Japan in 1995, following the release of their third studio album, SUBHUMAN RACE, and in the middle of a huge world tour. From these dates, the live EP SUBHUMAN BEINGS ON TOUR was born, featuring seven tracks recorded in Japan. Here’s the full setlist from one of the Tokyo dates for your listening pleasure.